1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a control device for an air-bubble massage appliance with a housing in which a blower drivable by means of an electric motor and enclosed by a cover is positioned, in which an external housing consisting of a lower housing part and an upper housing part contains an internal housing with a connecting piece for an air hose, which extends toward the external housing and is connected to a hose connecting opening of the external housing, where the external housing and the internal housing are provided with water discharge openings so that water returning into the internal housing through the connecting piece is isolated from the electric motor when the blower is shut off and can flow out of the internal and external housings, and where the external housing, which is comprised of the lower housing part and the upper housing part, which are connected with each other in an air tight manner, is divided along a horizontal separation plane.
2. Description of Prior Art
A control device of this type is disclosed by German DE-C 37 38 364. In this known control device, the electric motor and the blower are placed horizontally in the housing but positioned outside of the internal housing. The air aspirated by the blower is conducted into the inner chamber of the internal housing through a compressed air connector, which is in contact with the blower, to a fixed place above the hose connecting piece. In this case, part of the internal housing covers the blower. As a result, the electric motor is not adequately cooled and it is not possible to clean and heat the aspirated air in a simple and effective manner.
It is the object of this invention to provide a control device of the previously mentioned type, in which the structure of the external and internal housings results in an improved flow of the aspirated air and also provides an opportunity for the installation of additional devices, if desired, (for example a heating element for heating and a filter for cleaning the aspirated air) without hindering the drainage of the water which may be returning.
This object is attained in accordance with this invention by an internal housing consisting of an aspirating hood and a blower hood divided in a horizontal separating plane and connected airtight at the separating plane, with an electric motor housed in the aspirating hood positioned above the blower hood and on its underside inside the blower hood driving a fan wheel or a plurality of fan wheels on a vertical shaft surrounded by a cover, where the aspirating hood holds the electric motor in the upper area of the aspirating hood by means of a profile packing, creating an aspirating chamber which is in contact with the external housing, where the cover is provided with circumferentially positioned air outlet slits and is sealed on both sides thereof by means of profile packings against the blower hood, where the open underside of the blower hood, positioned at a distance from the floor of the lower housing part and functioning as an aspirating opening, is connected to an aspirating conduit which issues from the inner chamber of the aspirating hood, where the water discharge opening is positioned in the floor of the lower housing part which is provided with at least one air aspirating opening, the connecting piece of the blower hood is aligned horizontally and is connected with the air exhaust slits of the cover of the fan wheel, where the lower housing part of the exterior housing is provided with at least one air aspirating opening, and where the water discharge openings of the exterior housing and the interior housing are positioned so as to overlap each other in the lower area of the aspirating conduit of the aspirating hood.
By means of the upright arrangement of the external and internal housings, two separate chambers are formed, where the aspirated air is aspirated at the floor of the external housing and enters the internal housing at the top of the internal housing and only reaches the chamber of the fan wheel through the aspirating conduit of the open underside of the blower hood after passing the aspirating hood and cooling the electric motor contained therein. In this manner the aspirated air can be heated in the area of the aspirating hood and can be easily cleaned before entering the blower hood and prior to being conducted by the blower to the connecting piece of the blower hood and subsequently to the air hose inserted in the hose connecting opening. The water discharge opening always is in the lowest part of the external housing and the distance to the electric motor and thus to the electrically conducting parts in the area of the aspirating hood and the upper housing part is comparatively large, so that even the entire lower housing part can be filled with returning water without coming into contact with electrically conducting parts. The air exhaust through the connecting piece of the blower hood is assured by the connecting piece being aligned horizontally and connected with the air exhaust slits of the cover of the fan wheel.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention the connecting piece is positioned symmetrically in respect to the separating plane of the external housing and connects to the hose connecting opening located symmetrically in respect to the separating plane. In this case it is easy to install the hose connecting opening in the divided external housing.
The entry of the air into the aspirating hood for cooling the electric motor with simultaneous mounting is attained where the upper part of the electric motor is covered by a guide hood, which is maintained in an upper opening of the aspirating hood by means of the profile packing, where the guide hood is supported through the profile packing on a sleeve-like piece with inlet slits on the cover wall of the upper housing part, and where the aspirating chamber is formed between the guide hood and the cover wall of the upper housing part.
Because the aspirating opening of the blower is at a distance from the floor of the lower housing part, cleaning of the aspirated and heated air can be simply achieved by covering the aspirating opening of the aspirating hood by means of a filter, while for heating the air the electric motor is surrounded on its end facing the cover for the fan wheel by an electric heating element positioned in the inner chamber of the internal housing.
In an embodiment of the invention, the fastening of the filter is done in such a way that the filter is covered by a filter hood which is connected through slits in the wall with the aspirating conduit extending from the inner chamber of the aspirating hood and further that the filter hood rests on the floor of the lower housing part and is provided with a water discharge opening which, together with the water discharge opening in the floor a lower housing part, forms a water discharge from the external housing and the internal housing. At the same time the aspirated air can be admitted without hindrance from the aspirating conduit through the slits of the filter hood to the filter and above it to the aspirating opening of the blower.
The aspirated air provided to the inner chamber of the aspirating hood can be accelerated in its circulating speed by closing the cover of the fan wheel on the side facing the electric motor, so that the inner chamber of the fan wheel chamber is not in communication with the inner chamber of the aspirating hood. The aspirated air flowing through the aspirating hood exits on the underside of the aspirating hood, flows around the heating element and then reaches the aspirating conduit. In an embodiment of this invention, the aspirating conduit through which the aspirated air flows from the inner chamber of the aspirating hood to the aspirating opening of the blower hood is formed by a wall of the filter hood and by a portion of the outer wall of the blower hood and covered by means of an overhanging area formed on the aspirating hood and where the sleeve-like aspirating hood is recessed in the area of the overhang.
If according to an embodiment of this invention positioning pieces are fixed on the inner wall of the connecting piece, the insertion movement of the connecting piece provided on the end of the air hose is limited.
In another embodiment of the invention, the tight seal between the lower housing part and the upper housing part of the external housing is achieved by the lower housing part and the upper housing part overlapping in the area of the separating plane by means of oppositely offset connecting pieces which are of reduced thickness, while the connection between the aspirating hood and the blower hood of the inner housing is achieved where the blower hood ends, on its side facing the aspirating hood, in a coaxial double connecting piece into which the facing front end of the aspirating hood is inserted.
In yet another embodiment, the fixing of the inner housing in its lower area is achieved where the blower hood is supported on the floor of the lower housing part through the lower profile packing and the filter hood.
Mechanical connection between the lower housing part and the upper housing part of the external housing is attained by the lower housing part and the upper housing part having formed on them raised bolt covers aligned with each other, through which they are both bolted together. The raised bolt covers of the lower housing part extend beyond the underside of the floor of the lower housing part to form receiver sleeves for flexible footpads so that it is possible to place the control device on delicate surfaces without danger of scratches or the like.
A further embodiment provides that the air aspirating openings of the lower housing part are in the shape of sleeves formed on it, which are open in the area of the floor of the lower housing part and which extend into the inner chamber of the external housing. In this way the air aspirating openings are always unencumbered and the aspirated air is already collected and guided in the direction towards the upper part of the housing in the area of these aspirating openings.